Jerusalem

[ ji-roo-suh-luhm, -zuh- ]

noun

a city in Israel: an ancient holy city and a center of pilgrimage for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; divided between Israel and Jordan 1948–67; Jordanian sector annexed by Israel 1967; Israel's capital since 1950 (but not recognized as such by the international community).

Origin of Jerusalem

First recorded in 1580–1600; from Latin Hierosolyma, from Greek Hierosólyma, from Hebrew Yĕrūshalayim “possession of peace” (traditional interpretation). The H- in the Greek form is not found in the Hebrew; the H- is due to the influence of the Greek adjective hierós “holy, sacred, supernatural.” The alternative Latin form Hierūsalem, from Greek Hierousalḗm, comes from Hebrew Yĕrūshalēm, which most likely represents the pronunciation of Yĕrūshalayim. The spelling Jerusalem is due to loss of the initial aspirate H-, in the spelling of the Latin Hierusalem, which becomes Ierusalem; the former short vowel i then becomes pronounced as the semivowel y in accordance with ordinary Latin usage

Other words from Jerusalem

Je·ru·sa·lem·ite, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Jerusalem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Jerusalem in a sentence

He’s a computer scientist at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.
Training AI to be really smart poses risks to climate | Kathryn Hulick | March 19, 2021 | Science News For Students
I was flipping through Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Jerusalem,” while I worked on this dish.
Spiced meatballs with carrots and labne call for hands-on cooking | Daniela Galarza | March 18, 2021 | Washington Post
Jerusalem has seven open gates, just as the novel goes into seven main points of view.
Rebecca Sacks’s ‘City of a Thousand Gates’ is a kaleidoscopic debut that illuminates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Porter Shreve | February 4, 2021 | Washington Post
Palestinian artist Jack Persekian, however, time-travels by collaging a photo of contemporary Jerusalem with a view of the same area in the 1930s, when it was a Moroccan neighborhood.
In the galleries: Middle East artists examine sheltering in place amid pandemic | Mark Jenkins | January 15, 2021 | Washington Post
In 2018, Turkey downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel after unrest surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Israel to assess Turkish President Erdoğan's seriousness on normalizing relations | Barak Ravid | December 31, 2020 | Axios

He has just emerged from one of the many homes that sit on top of a small hill in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tur.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge | Creede Newton | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
About 300,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, and their relationship to the state is an almost perfect dance of denial.
After the Israel Synagogue Massacre: A New Intifada? | Michael Tomasky | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
On top of that, there are the increasing numbers of Jewish settlers moving into East Jerusalem.
After the Israel Synagogue Massacre: A New Intifada? | Michael Tomasky | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They almost never cross into West Jerusalem anymore, we were told.
Mass Murder in the Holy City | Michael Tomasky | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
First, the difference between West and East Jerusalem is almost impossible to imagine until you see it.
Mass Murder in the Holy City | Michael Tomasky | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the top corner on the left is represented the New Jerusalem.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Gloucester [2nd ed.] | H. J. L. J. Mass
Thou shalt ask, and it shall be revealed unto you in mine own due time where the New Jerusalem shall be built.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | Joseph Smith
And ye shall hereafter receive Church covenants, such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here and in the New Jerusalem.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | Joseph Smith
There was a groom behind him, and another at the rubbing-post, all in livery as glorious as New Jerusalem.
A Laodicean | Thomas Hardy
One of his ideas was that America was to be the site of the New Jerusalem.
John Greenleaf Whittier | W. Sloane Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for Jerusalem

Jerusalem

/ (dʒəˈruːsələm) /

noun

the de facto capital of Israel (recognition of this has been withheld by the United Nations), situated in the Judaean hills: became capital of the Hebrew kingdom after its capture by David around 1000 bc; destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 bc; taken by the Romans in 63 bc; devastated in 70 ad and 135 ad during the Jewish rebellions against Rome; fell to the Arabs in 637 and to the Seljuk Turks in 1071; ruled by Crusaders from 1099 to 1187 and by the Egyptians and Turks until conquered by the British (1917); centre of the British mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, when the Arabs took the old city and the Jews held the new city; unified after the Six Day War (1967) under the Israelis; the holy city of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Pop: 693 200 (2003 est)
- the New Jerusalem Christianity Heaven
- any ideal city

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Jerusalem (1 of 2)

Jerusalem

A holy city for Jews (see also Jews), Christians (see also Christian), and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel. The name means “city of peace.” Jerusalem is often called Zion; Mount Zion is the hill on which the fortress of the city was built.

Notes for Jerusalem

Jerusalem and places nearby are the scenes of crucial events in the life of Jesus. (See Bethlehem and Calvary.)

Notes for Jerusalem

The “New Jerusalem” is mentioned in the Book of Revelation as the heavenly city, to be established at the end of time.

Jerusalem

Capital of Israel and largest city in the country, located on a ridge west of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River (see also Jordan River). (See also under “The Bible.”)

Notes for Jerusalem

The site of the city has been occupied since the Bronze Age.

Notes for Jerusalem

It was the capital of the ancient Hebrew kingdom under the kings David and Solomon.

Notes for Jerusalem

Known as the “Holy City,” it is sacred to Jews (see also Jews), Christians (see also Christian), and Muslims.

Notes for Jerusalem

Conquest of Jerusalem was the goal of the early Crusades during the Middle Ages.

Notes for Jerusalem

After the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. Following the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1967, Israel annexed the remainder of the city.

Notes for Jerusalem

The city is famous for its many sacred sights and shrines, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Dome of the Rock.

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